Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2016
183. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of early intervention ABC programmes that are in operation by county; the services they provide; the way they are funded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30124/16]
View answerThe Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies. The ABC Programme commenced in 2013 and was co-funded for the period 2013 to 2017 in the amount of €29.7m. The programme is managed by CES and Pobal on behalf of the funders. The aim the programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches in areas of disadvantage in Ireland to improve outcomes for children, in particular children and families living in poverty. The focus of the work under the ABC Programme covers: Child Health & Development; Children’s Learning; Parenting; and Integrated Service Delivery.
There are 13 sites across Ireland participating in the ABC programme. Eight of these are based in Dublin: CDI Tallaght; Preparing for Life; Youngballymun; Clondalkin Behavioural Initiative; Better Finglas; Dublin Docklands and East Inner City; Grangegorman and Ballyfermot. The remaining five sites are located in Cork; Louth; Bray; Limerick and the Midlands.
Prior to the ABC Programme, the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme (PEIP) ran from 2007-2013 and it funded the following three organisations which transitioned into the ABC programme: Youngballymun, Childhood Development Initiative Tallaght, and the Preparing for Life Programme Darndale. The other ABC sites are funded through the following lead agencies or consortia: Clondalkin Behavioural Initiative; Louth Leader Partnership; Barnardos; National College of Ireland; Bray Area Partnership; Northside Community Health Initiative (Cork) Ltd; Dublin Institute of Technology; Ballyfermot/Chapelizod Partnership and People Action Against Unemployment Ltd.
The services provided by the ABC sites in each area are set out in the table. These services include parenting supports and interventions, early years practitioner and primary teacher training and the delivery of programmes to expectant mothers, parents of infants and children and their parents from the early years upwards.
The Government is fully committed to ensuring that learning from all sites funded under the ABC programme will inform other services and supports for children in the area of prevention and early intervention. Such an approach would offer a greater reach, in scope and depth, which will in turn enhance outcomes for children throughout the country. As there is effective work being done on a range of themes across all 13 ABC sites, a key focus over the next year will be to determine the high-impact programmes and provision across these areas so that a more strategic approach can be taken to mainstreaming such learning.
ABC Programme – Site Activity Areas
October 2016
|
ABC Area |
Programme |
Target Population |
|
|
1 |
CDI Tallaght |
Antenatal to Three Initiative |
Professionals working with pregnant women and parents of children aged 0-3 years |
|
Doodle Den |
Children aged 5-6 |
||
|
Doodle Families |
Children aged 7-8 and their parents |
||
|
Parental support in EY services (including Parents Plus) |
Parents of children aged 0-5 |
||
|
Restorative Practices |
Children over 5; their parents; young people and adults |
||
|
Speech and Language Therapy Model |
Children aged 3-6 years and their parents and carers; early practitioners and teachers |
||
|
2 |
PFL - Preparing for Life Northside Partnership Dublin |
Antenatal Care and Development Checks |
Expectant mothers from targeted areas |
|
Early Years Programme |
ECCE Practitioners with children in early years settings aged 2-5 |
||
|
Home Visiting Programme |
Families taking part in PFL; children aged 0-4 |
||
|
PAX Good Behaviour Game |
Initially Children aged 6-8; extending to children aged 5 to 12. |
||
|
Play to Learn |
Children aged 4-7 |
||
|
Triple P Positive Parenting |
Parents of children aged 2-12 years |
||
|
Write to Read |
Children aged 4-12 |
||
|
Youngballymun |
Antenatal Service |
Pregnant women and birth partners/ friend or relative. |
|
|
Breakfast Buddies |
Parents of 3-12 year olds & community project workers |
||
|
Incredible Book Club |
Parents of 3-8 year olds participating in Incredible Years parent programmes |
||
|
Incredible Years 20-Week Parent Programme |
Parents of 4-8 year olds with conduct problems |
||
|
Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme/Incredible Years Parent and Toddler Programme |
Parents of 3-10 year olds/Parents of 1.5 to 2.5 year olds |
||
|
Infant Massage |
Parents and caregivers of new born babies and infants up to the age of crawling |
||
|
Infant Mental Health Therapeutic Support |
Parents and children aged 0-3 with attachment difficulties and/or parental mental health issues |
||
|
Story Sacks |
Parents of children aged 3-8 |
||
|
Talk and Play Every Day |
Parents and toddlers aged 12-24 months |
||
|
4 |
Clondalkin Behavioural Initiative Ltd. t/a Archways |
Early Years & Transitions programme |
Children in early years settings; early years practitioners. |
|
Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme |
Parents of children aged 3-8 years; Teachers and staff from organisations working with parents of 3-8 year olds. |
||
|
Incredible Years Classroom Dina and Small Group Dina Programme |
Early years practitioners and primary teachers. |
||
|
Incredible Years Parent and Toddler Programme |
Parents of children aged between 1 and 3 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme |
Parents of children aged 0 -12 months. |
||
|
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management |
Training and support for teachers of children aged 3-7. |
||
|
Peep - Learning Together Programme |
Parent & toddler groups in the area; Hard to reach/marginalised parents. |
||
|
Universal oral language supports |
Children age 0-2 for direct support with their parents; teachers and early practitioners for training and skills development. |
||
|
Upto2 Programme |
Expectant and new mothers from targeted areas. |
||
|
Working with parents to support their children's learning |
Primary school principals; teachers and early years practitioners in the area. |
||
|
5 |
Genesis – Louth |
Coaching Support to IY Group Leaders |
Incredible Years Group Leaders |
|
Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme |
Parents of children aged 3-8 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Classroom Dina Programme |
Primary school students |
||
|
Incredible Years Classroom Dina Programme in the EY |
ECCE practitioners |
||
|
Incredible Years Incredible Beginnings Programme |
EY Practitioners working with children aged 1 - 5 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Parent and Baby Programme |
Parents of children aged 0 -12 months |
||
|
Incredible Years Parent and Toddler Programme |
Parents of children aged between 1 and 3 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Small Group Dina Programme |
Primary school teachers |
||
|
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management |
Teachers of children |
||
|
Preparing for Baby Programme |
Pregnant women |
||
|
6 |
Better Finglas – Barnardos |
Community Mothers Programme |
Parents of infants aged 0-2 years |
|
Early Years Programme |
Early years practitioners working with children aged 0-5 years. |
||
|
Infant Massage |
Parents of Infants aged 0- 1 years |
||
|
PfL Home Visiting Programme |
Families of children aged 0-3 |
||
|
Triple P Positive Parenting |
Parents of children aged 0-11 years |
||
|
Wizard of Words |
Children aged 6-8 |
||
|
7 |
Docklands - National College of Ireland |
ABC 0-2 Years programme; incorporating Community Mothers |
Parents of children aged 0-2 |
|
Doodle Den |
Five and six-year-old children in Senior Infants classes in schools |
||
|
Early Years Programme |
Early years practitioners |
||
|
NEYAI Early Numeracy Programme |
Children aged 0-6 years |
||
|
Parent Child Home Programme |
Children aged 18 months-3 years and their parents |
||
|
Restorative Practice |
A wide range of organisations and sectors in the Docklands and East Inner City; including schools; early years’ services; youth services; workplaces; communities and families |
||
|
Zoom Ahead with Books |
Children aged 0-6 years and their parents |
||
|
8 |
SPECS - Bray Area Partnership |
Parents Plus Early Years Programme |
Parents of children aged 1-6 years. |
|
PFL Home Visiting Programme |
Parents of children from pre-birth to 5 years |
||
|
Roots of Empathy |
Primary school students |
||
|
Siolta Framework Quality Standard Implementation |
EY practitioners |
||
|
Strengthening Families Programme |
High-risk 6-11 year olds and their parents |
||
|
9 |
Young Knocknaheeney |
Infant Health and Wellbeing Programme |
Parents and caregivers of children aged 0-3; practitioners and services |
|
Early Care and Education |
Early Years Practitioners with children aged 0-5 and parents/caregivers |
||
|
Speech; Language and Literacy |
Teachers and early years practitioners; parents |
||
|
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management |
Teachers of children aged 3-7 |
||
|
Incredible Years Classroom Dina Programme |
Children in primary school |
||
|
Prosocial Behaviour and Self Regulation; Incredible Years Preschool Basic Parent Programme |
Parents of children aged 3-6 |
||
|
10 |
Grangegorman – DIT |
Doodle Den |
Children aged 4-6 |
|
Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme |
Parents of children aged between 1 and 3 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme |
Parents of children aged 0 -12 months |
||
|
Incredible Years Small Group Dina Programme |
ECCE practitioners |
||
|
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management |
Teachers of children aged 3-7 |
||
|
Parent-Child Home Programme |
Children aged 18 months-3 years and their parents |
||
|
11 |
Ballyfermot/Chapelizod Partnership |
Chatter Matters |
EY services & primary school children & parents |
|
Community Mothers Programme |
First Time parents of infants aged 0-12 months |
||
|
Family Development Service |
Hard-to-reach families including Traveller families |
||
|
Oral Language Programme |
EY services & primary school children & parents, carers; |
||
|
Youth Mental Health Programme |
EY practitioners and teachers. |
||
|
12 |
Limerick - PAUL Partnership |
Community Mothers |
Parents of children aged 0-3 |
|
Enhanced Supports for Children Aged 3-6 |
Children aged 3-6 |
||
|
Homemaker Family Support Service |
Families with children aged 0-8 |
||
|
Incredible Years Basic Parent Programme |
Parents of children aged 1-6 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Classroom Dina Programme and Classroom Dina Programme in Preschools |
Junior Pre-school and junior infant children school class teachers and ECCE practitioners |
||
|
Incredible Years Parent and Toddler Programme |
Parents of children aged between 1 and 3 years |
||
|
Incredible Years Small Group Dina Programme |
Junior school class teachers and ECCE practitioners |
||
|
Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management |
Pre-school and junior infant children |
||
|
Little Voices Oral Language Programme |
Teachers of children in junior and senior infant classes |
||
|
Positive Parenting Campaign |
Children aged 0-4 and their families |
||
|
Quality Early Years |
All parents and children/Early years practitioners |
||
|
StartRight Community Wraparound |
Antenatal and child and family services working with 0-3 year olds and their families |
||
|
Transition programme |
Early years practitioners and teachers; children making the transition from pre-school to primary school |
||
|
13 |
Midlands |
PAX Good Behaviour Game |
Children aged 6-8 |
